Black Jacques

Based on the true life story of Eugene Bullard, “Black Jacques” tells the story of the world’s first black “Top Gun” pilot. The life of this extraordinary man is unequaled and we are proud to be the ones to tell his story.

Born Eugene Jacques Bullard on October 9, 1894 in Columbus, Georgia, Eugene was the seventh of ten children. The son of slaves brought to America from Haiti, Eugene learned French and was determined to live as a free man in France where he was told that ‘blacks is equal to whites‘.

As a part of the famous French Lafayette Escadrilles, Eugene became their ace pilot – indeed, the first and only black “Top Gun” pilot during WWI. He later owned several jazz clubs in Paris, becoming the first millionaire club owner. Louis Armstrong and Josephine Baker played to rapt audiences in his clubs and he later married a Countess who gave him two daughters.

From the boxing ring to the battlefields of Verdun, Eugene Bullard fought his way through the obstacles of racism, earning the nickname of “The Black Swallow” and returned to America as an invisible hero, once again facing the racism that scarred his history.

He died in poverty in a Harlem walk up in 1961 and was later posthumously commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force – 77 years to the day he was rejected for U.S. military service.

We are honoured to be able to tell Eugene’s most amazing story.

Visit the IMDb website for more on the production of “Black Jacques”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.